What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” vss. 12-14
Psalm 116:12-19
The psalmist was alive–he’d been as good as dead, cried out to the Lord, and had been restored to health. Now what? In his mind there remained only one thing to do–he would raise a drink to the Lord and make an offering of thanksgiving before the congregation, and everyone would know how grateful he was to the Lord for the gift of life. We may not have made a miraculous recovery from a horrible illness like the psalmist, but nearly all of us can identify with his delight in being alive. But unlike the psalmist, we have a dickens of a time finding the time or inclination to return thanks to God for this most precious gift. Oh we might breathe a prayer of thanks as the glorious light of the sun wakes us in the morning, but it doesn’t dawn on us to use Sun-day as a time to offer those praises in the presence of the faith community. That’s what “going to church” is! Worship isn’t about “getting something” out of songs and a sermon, it’s part of the rhythm of creation, a time to gather with the faithful to give thanks to God for the gift of life.
Thought for the Day: What is my main reason for worshiping?
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